NRC Expects Applications for 34 Nuclear Power Plants by 2010

Electric utilities in the United States are endeavoring to lower their
pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions by building renewable energy
facilities with zero or low emissions, but that same motivation is
also leading utilities to investigate the use of nuclear power. The
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is currently reviewing
applications for 15 new nuclear reactors at nine sites in eight
states: Alabama, Georgia, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South
Carolina (two sites), Texas, and Virginia. By the end of this year,
the NRC expects to receive applications for 12 more reactors at nine
sites in eight states, including two more sites in Texas, as well as
sites in seven new states: Florida, Idaho, Louisiana, Michigan,
Missouri, New York, and Pennsylvania. In 2009, the NRC expects
applications for four more reactors at two sites, located in Florida
and Texas, and in 2010, the commission expects applications for three
more nuclear reactors at three sites. It lists Utah as the location
for one of those facilities, but the details on the other two
facilities have not been announced yet.

Altogether, the NRC is expecting applications for 34 new nuclear power
plants located at 23 sites in at least 16 states. The applications are
for "combined" licenses, which allow for both building and operating
the power plants. The review process is also quite long, with the NRC
expecting to hold hearings for most of the current applications
starting in 2010, leading to the first new licenses possibly being
issued in 2011. All of the applications also depend on the NRC issuing
design certifications for the new reactor designs that the energy
companies intend to employ. See the NRC's New Reactors Web page and its fact sheet on the licensing process.